EVANSTON, Ill. – Several Northwestern wrestlers will look to capitalize on remarkable seasons at the 2013 Big Ten Championships hosted by the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill. The championships, running from Saturday, March 9 through Sunday, March 10, mark the beginning of the postseason for the Wildcat squad. NU will look to qualify all 10 competitors for the 2013 NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Fans unable to make it to Champaign, Ill. this weekend can watch the ‘Cats from the comfort of their homes. Fans can watch all of the matches either on the Big Ten Digital Network or on the Big Ten Network. Championship Central has all of the links for the webstreams from Sessions I-III and tune into the Big Ten Network at 1:30 p.m. Sunday to watch the finals live.

The complete schedule for the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships is as follows:

The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference’s coaches, rank the top eight wrestlers in five weight classes, along with 11 or 12 schools’ starters in five weight classes due to the Big Ten receiving eight or more NCAA Championships qualifier allocations in those classes. Final seeds will be announced following the coaches’ seeding meeting on Friday.

This is college wrestling’s fifth season under the new system for earning automatic bids to the NCAA championships in which the NCAA allocates each weight class in each conference a certain number of automatic bids. The Big Ten breakdown for automatic bids is as follows: seven for 125, seven for 133, six for 141, eight for 149, seven for 157, eight for 165, eight for 174, six for 184, eight for 197 and nine for heavyweight.

NU at 2012 Big Ten ChampionshipsNorthwestern posted the best team finish at the Big Ten Championships since 2007, finishing sixth and having six wrestlers place in the top eight in their respective weight classes. Four current Wildcat starters qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2012, including Jason Welch (157), Pierce Harger (165), Lee Munster (174) and Mike McMullan (285). Welch finished as the runner-up in the Big Ten at 157, the highest finish by an NU wrestler last season.

NU History at Big Ten ChampionshipsNorthwestern has won 37 individual Big Ten titles in program history with 29 different wrestlers combining to win those 37 titles. Six Wildcat wrestlers have won multiple titles during their NU careers. The last ‘Cat to win a Big Ten Championship was Jake Herbert in 2009, when he won his third title (two at 184, one at 174). Northwestern’s best team finish came during the 1989-1990 season when the Wildcats placed third out of 10 teams.

Last Go-RoundJason Welch has been a constant force for Northwestern on the mat during his career in Evanston and will compete in his final Big Ten Championships this weekend. Last season, Welch was involved in one of the most exciting matches of the 2012 Big Ten Championships, losing 4-3 to Derek St. John of Iowa in the 157 final. During his sophomore campaign, Welch again came close, finishing third at the 2011 Big Ten Championships in Evanston. He enters the 2013 Big Ten Championships pre-seeded No. 2 at 157.

Six Wildcats in Final NCAA Coaches’ Panel RankingsSix NU wrestlers made the cut onto the final coaches’ panel rankings from the NCAA. Two-time All-American Jason Welch finished the season ranked No. 1 at 157 lbs. by the coaches’ panel and at No. 2 in RPI. Lee Munster (174) and Mike McMullan (285) also garnered top-10 rankings by the coaches, with McMullan coming in tied for eighth and Munster finishing ninth. Dominick Malone (125), Pierce Harger (165) and Alex Polizzi (197) round out the coaches’ panel rankings for Northwestern, grabbing spots in the top 33 in their respective weight classes.

Here is a look at where Northwestern ranks in the final NCAA coaches’ panel rankings and RPI.

Two Away…Senior Jason Welch has been winning matches his entire career at Northwestern and his hard work is very close to paying off with a spot on the all-time wins list at NU. Welch has a record of 26-1 so far this season, giving him 108 career victories. Tony Pariano (1992-96) resides ahead of Welch on the list with 110 career wins. Here is the list for all-time victories:

Young ’CatsSix of the 10 Northwestern wrestlers competing in this year’s Big Ten Championships are doing so for the first time. NU had an extremely young team this year with three true freshmen and six sophomores in its starting lineup. True freshmen Dominick Malone (125), Garrison White (133) and Jacob Berkowitz (184) along with redshirt sophomores Pat Greco (141), Dylan Marriott (149) and Alex Polizzi (197) will see their first postseason action.

The other four ’Cats in the lineup are returning NCAA qualifiers, but senior Jason Welch is the only upperclassman competing for Northwestern. Redshirt sophomores Pierce Harger (165), Lee Munster (174) and Mike McMullan (Hwt) all did so as freshmen in 2012.